Catholic charity Cafod has decided not to accept money from the
proceeds of a new book by communications director Damian McBride.McBride’s book, Power Trip, was published last week and outlined some of the tactics he employed against opponents of former chancellor Gordon Brown, including smearing opponents.
In a statement, Cafod director Chris Bain said: “After careful reflection, the Trustees and senior management of Cafod have decided to decline the royalties from the book written by Damian McBride about his time working in politics.
“We have appreciated the feedback offered by members of the Catholic community and wish to express once again our gratitude for all the generous support given to Cafod’s work.”
Mr McBride statement said that: “As I wrote in the Catholic Herald last year, ‘Cafod sees itself as nothing more than the sum of its supporters, its core purpose the living expression of their faith.’
“Given the concerns raised by a number of those supporters about proceeds from my book being used to support the agency’s work, it is totally understandable that Cafod has rejected my proposed donation, and I can only apologise for the critical and unfair associations made between the book and Cafod’s work over the last fortnight.
“The fact that Cafod is both inspired and led by its supporters is one of the reasons I am so proud to work for the agency, and I will continue to do so to the best of my abilities in the years to come. It remains my intention to donate all my royalties from sales of the book to other good causes.”